Case of Two Saudi Women Drivers Referred to Terrorism Court

Two Saudi women who have been detained for opposing the ban on women driving in the country for about a month have been referred to a special court that handles terrorism cases. The Associated Press reported on Thursday, December 25, citing relatives of Maysa Al-Amoudi and Loujain Al-Hathloul, that the case of these two Saudi citizens has been sent to the anti-terrorism court due to their expressions of opinion on the social media platform Twitter. However, it is unclear what the specific charges against the two women are, although both have opposed the ban on women driving. Nonetheless, social activists say that this event is actually a message to those who are seeking more fundamental civil rights. The Associated Press writes that the special criminal court to which the case of these two women has been referred is established in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to investigate terrorism-related cases, but so far, several human rights activists, peaceful opponents, and critics of the Saudi government have been sentenced to long prison terms in it. This court recently sentenced Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric and critic of the Saudi government, to death. The report states that the lawyers of Maysa Al-Amoudi and Loujain Al-Hathloul have protested the court's decision to refer their case to the anti-terrorism court and have filed an appeal. In Saudi Arabia, although there is no official law regarding the prohibition of women driving, conservative clerics in the country have repeatedly issued fatwas against women driving, and Saudi officials also refuse to issue driving licenses to women. The Saudi police have repeatedly arrested women for driving, including in 1990 when they arrested 50 women for this reason, confiscated their passports, and pressured their employers to dismiss them. In 2011, a woman was sentenced to 10 lashes for driving, but the King of Saudi Arabia annulled this sentence. In this context, the Saudi Ministry of Interior warned about the violation of the ban on women driving in the country, stating that 'more than 60 Saudi women' drove in a protest movement.